Holy Toledo! Milo Hamilton, I'll miss you

A Chronicle photographer remembers the voice of the Astros

By Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

September 19, 2015

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 1of/11

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 11

Milo Hamilton salutes the crowd during Milo Hamilton Day celebrating his 85th birthday before the start of an MLB baseball game at Minute Maid Park on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012, in Houston. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) less

Milo Hamilton salutes the crowd during Milo Hamilton Day celebrating his 85th birthday before the start of an MLB baseball game at Minute Maid Park on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012, in Houston. ( Karen Warren / ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Image 2 of 11

A page out of a scorebook is displayed at a memorial set up for Milo Hamilton before the start of an MLB baseball game at Minute Maid Park on Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. Milo passed away Sept. 17 at the age of 88. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) less

A page out of a scorebook is displayed at a memorial set up for Milo Hamilton before the start of an MLB baseball game at Minute Maid Park on Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. Milo passed away Sept. 17 at the age of 88. ... more

Milo was a sportscasting legend. His broadcast career included stints with the Browns, Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox, Braves, Pirates, and eventually, 27 years as the voice of the Astros. During that career, he was at the microphone for 11 no-hitters, including Mike Scott's division clincher in 1986. He was here, in Houston, for Craig Biggio's entire career, and called his 3,000th hit in 2007. But, most famously, he was known for calling Hank Aaron's record breaking 715th career home runs in 1974, in Atlanta. Milo had also been awarded Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award in 1992. Retired in 2012, he holds the major league record for number of baseball stadiums broadcasted from at 59 parks.

But what can I say? In the early '90s, I wasn't a baseball fan. But after moving to Houston in 1997, and covering my first spring training, I was hooked.

Milo never failed to wave or smile at me before games up in the press box. He would often ask if I "would be chronicling for the Chronicle" most evenings. He called me "kid." I'm not sure why, but I think everyone in baseball has a nickname.

Milo had many sayings, including "Holy Toledo, what a play!" And "put a blue star on that play!" One of my favorite Milo-isms was "That sounded like it was hit with a rolled-up Sporting News!", which made my husband, Robert Seale, laugh. (Robert used to work at the Sporting News.) Milo used to tell me that when he lived in St. Louis, he was often the first one in line at the Sporting News, waiting for the latest edition to roll off the presses.

In 2004, the Astros played a couple of spring training games in Mexico City. I was staying at the same hotel as the team. I was getting ready to try to hail a cab to the game, in a city I had never been in before, and in a language that I had no command of. When Milo saw me, he insisted that I was not going to take a cab alone, and demanded that I ride the team bus to the stadium. Everyone agreed with him, so I was ushered aboard and felt the fatherly protection of Milo and the team.

In the last few years, Milo would often declare that the Astros need to get off the "schnide," that they they needed a win. I wish he were still around to see this magical season approaching a nail-biter ending.